Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

My change from the wrong fear to the right fear. For me the wrong kind of fear was a fear of Him as a slave owner and me as a slave where he was watching for me to break some kind of religious ritual rule and he would punish me by consequences and then judge me based on my works.  I would not measure up and be sent to hell forever because I wasn’t as good as some other people.  Then I had understood the good news of Jesus.   God knew that I would not measure up.   He sent Jesus to take the whipping I deserved and the death I deserved when He died on the cross.   I was offered mercy from God instead of judgment.    There was a guy who had been a horrible human and didn’t believe there was a way that God could save Him because he was too bad a person.   He wrote these words. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

8.27- 1 Peter 2. 13  Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14  or to governors as sent [ p ] by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15  For [ q ] such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16  Act as free men, and [ r ] do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 17  Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the [ s ] king. 18  Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are [ t ] unreasonable. 19  For this finds [ u ] favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20  For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure i

8.26 Romans 13. 8  Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves [ e ] his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9  For this, “ You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet ,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself .” 10  Love [ f ] does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 11  Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now [ g ] salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12  The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13  Let us [ h ] behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Psalm

8.25 Romans 13. 13  Every [ a ] person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except [ b ] from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2  Therefore [ c ] whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3  For rulers are not a cause of fear for [ d ] good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4  for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5  Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6  For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7  Render to all what is due them:

8.24 Acts 11. 11  Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2  And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, [ a ] those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3  saying, “You [ b ] went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4  But Peter began speaking [ c ] and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, 5  “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an [ d ] object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from [ e ] the sky; and it came right down to me, 6  and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it [ f ] I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the [ g ] crawling creatures and the birds of the [ h ] air. 7  I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; [ i ] kill and eat.’ 8  But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing [ j ] unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9  But a voice from heaven answe

Sometimes we feel like we have hit the wall. Maybe you are a teacher or student in a new situation and feel like you have hit the wall.  Luke 10. 3  Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Did you have a time when you felt like you were in the majority in America as a follower of Jesus?   If you did that may or may not have been true. Acts 23. 23  Paul, looking intently at the [ a ] Council, said, “Brethren, I have [ b ] lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” 2  The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. 2 Timothy 2. 11  It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12  If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we [ d ] deny Him, He also will deny us; 13  If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. Jesus called men who were not afraid of storms.   He called fishermen.   He knew th